PR Professional of the Year 2007

Affectionately
and aptly nicknamed "Buz" by his colleagues, Raymond Buse has spent the
past 15 years working tirelessly to promote Cincinnati as a dynamic,
progressive, and vibrant place to both live in and visit.

As featured in outlets ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The Tonight Show,
the city's reputation has risen steadily under Buse's watch. "He's a
creative dynamo," noted one judge, who was particularly impressed by
the breadth of projects Buse has coordinated. "Nobody did more with
less."

He served as PR counsel to Mayor Mark Mallory for the launch of GO
Cincinnati, the city's new economic development initiative. With four
other co-chairs Buse led the city's first Downtown HopAround, an
all-volunteer grassroots effort on April 8, which drew hundreds of
community leaders to host restaurants and nightclubs that evening,
providing the media a positive story to tell on the five-year
anniversary of the city's 2001 civil unrest.

That event was so successful – resulting in 20% to 50% increases in
business for the majority of downtown nightspots – that a second
HopAround was held on September 30. The early fall event drew all nine
city council members, seven former mayors, three state senators, and,
of course, thousands of locals.

In 2006, Buse played a key role in completing the city's yearlong
quest to introduce the nation's first interstate Wi-Fi hotspot,
connecting Cincinnati, Covington, KY, and Newport, KY, with a hotspot
measuring more than 25 million square feet with 802.11 wireless
capacity.

Proving that Buse's impact is felt 24-7, one of his recent
rebranding efforts drew the attention of TV's late-night king. In late
2005, Buse, in conjunction with the mayor's office, staged "Blitz Jay
Leno Day." The NFL's Cincinnati Bengals had previously been the subject
of many of Leno's jokes. Buse's initiative netted a personal call from
Leno in which he agreed to phone into the city's annual Young
Professionals summit with a seven-minute monologue discussing how his
tough love had turned the team around. Leno's comments were carried on
more than 100 stations across the US.

"He's a testament to old-time PR," said one judge of Buse, who has
earned 12 national awards for creative PR tactics in the past two years
alone, including Honorable Mention in this category last year.

"It's obviously a labor of love."

Finalists

Todd Aydelotte Ricochet Public Relations

Raymond Buse IIICincinnati USA Regional Chamber

Ken CappsDallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Rob FlahertyKetchum

Nancy TurettEdelman

Honourable Mention

Rob Flaherty, Ketchum

During
his 25-year career, Rob Flaherty, senior partner, has been a key
facilitator as PR's role has risen in the marketing mix, the management
of corporate reputation, and world affairs. In 2006, he led the on-site
team that supported global media relations and issues management
before, during, and after the G8 Summit in Russia. He was one of two
Ketchum partners to lead agency efforts at the World Economic Forum in
Davos. He also counseled several clients on their roles as 2008 Beijing
Olympics sponsors. The judges were equally impressed with his vision –
Flaherty is well-regarded as one of PR's leading new-media advocates –
and leadership. "Rob is someone any young practitioner can look up to,"
said one judge. "This was a year in which he elevated the entire
profession," noted another judge. "He is the ultimate PR pro, hands
down."

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